Hey Sphinx, what is a good set up for low power with this frame? Since you've experimented a lot, you probably have some good advice. Thanks.

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I'm a big believer in using a softer string at a low tension to limit the power. I'd suggest starting out at 48/46 if you're having power issues at a mid tension. If that just feels too mushy for you, then the other option is to go on the higher side, say 65+ but that will give you a very stiff stringbed and with the frames characteristics, I can see someone with elbow or shoulder problems finding this method to be a little aggravating.

I'm a big believer in using a softer string at a low tension to limit the power. I'd suggest starting out at 48/46 if you're having power issues at a mid tension. If that just feels too mushy for you, then the other option is to go on the higher side, say 65+ but that will give you a very stiff stringbed and with the frames characteristics, I can see someone with elbow or shoulder problems finding this method to be a little aggravating.

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Thanks for replying. I'm surprised by the low tension suggestion, but I will give it a shot. A softer string like a multi? I've been using natural gut at mid+ tension. Was thinking I should up tension to tame it. But now you got me thinking...

I'd love to hear how this trial goes for you, so please post back when you have a chance after running through the paces.

The only multi I have at the moment to try is NXT 17 ga. That's a pretty soft string as it is, so with the lower tension I don't know what is going to happen.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I want to give the stick a fair chance, but have never had to change things up this much before.

Out of curiosity, has anyone tail-waited their Melbourne? Since the buttcap appears non-removable and I believe there is already silicone in the handle, a leather grip or lead under the grip are about the only methods.

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It has been raining here and will continue to rain for the next couple of days. I may hit with it Sunday evening or for Sure Monday during a league match.

Thanks for replying. I'm surprised by the low tension suggestion, but I will give it a shot. A softer string like a multi? I've been using natural gut at mid+ tension. Was thinking I should up tension to tame it. But now you got me thinking...

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I've never worked with Gut and everything I've heard is go higher to tame it. I'm not 100% sure that lower would work with Gut. I'm working with multi specifically so my suggestions will be based solely on that at this point. I couldn't get the multi/poly hybrids or full poly's to give me what I wanted from the Melly so off to Multi's I went. Hadn't done that in 15 years.

I'm working with multi specifically so my suggestions will be based solely on that at this point. I couldn't get the multi/poly hybrids or full poly's to give me what I wanted from the Melly so off to Multi's I went. Hadn't done that in 15 years.

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Any favorite multi's? Maybe I'll go peruse the string section now as well.

Really appreciate everyone's feedback and advice over the past couple of weeks. Played two hours of doubles last night, fresh hybrid string job, and could not make anything work. In addition, I felt it in my shoulder and arm and can't afford to continue with that. So unfortunately I will be sending my one remaining new stick back and putting the current one up on the boards. If anyone here is interested on obtaining another 4-3/8", I would be happy to work with you directly. I was careful not to scrape it during play, so it's a 9+/10.

Great group here, and I wish you all continued success with the Melbourne and your games. My search will continue.

A little about my game: I'm a 4.0, I like to serve and volley, I have a solid kick serve that I use most of the time, Hit my groundies with quite a bit of topspin, and I typically get my racquet on most ball. I'm working at getting to tthe net more during baseline rally's and staying out of defense mode when I hang on the baseline.

Having played with Volkl's and Becker's in the past, there are definitely some similarities. I purchased two racquets from TW. They came it with stock dampener and an wilson over wrap at 347 grams each. And they had Identical balance points. I had them strung with the free synthetic gut TW offers at 55lbs. I typically string my own racquets. And in this case, I elected to have TW string them since it was free. Couldn't ask for more. My first impressions.....

1. Solid.....The Melbourne is solid. Hitting volleys, shoe strings, and off center shots all felt great. I loved how solid it felt at the net. I hit several balls out the air from errant balls from my hitting partner and it was just solid. Off center balls still resulted in good directional control.

2. Slices.....I have an ok slice with about 1 out of every 4 sitting up on me. With the melbourne, slicing was fantastic. The solid nature of the racquet made it easy to slice.

3. Touch.....This is something I have missed since selling my PB10 mid and my Becker 11. The Melbourne had great touch, I was able to hit great drop shots, touch volleys and change up speeds with out thinking about it.

4. Topspin.....Frankly, I was concerned about topspin with the 18x20 string pattern. And with all the talk about a hot string bed I was concerned about keeping balls in the court. I was pleasantly surprised by how much topspin I was able to generate with this racquet.

5. Serve.....My flat first serve didn't have as much pop as I am accustom too. And the racquet seemed a bit lethargic on serve in general at first. Never got my flat first serve going, however, my kickers were jumping. And I rarely hit long, which gave me added confidence on second serves. Directional control was great. I'm going to play around with adding weight to the handle to see if I can get a little more whip with my serve.

6. Maneuverability.....This was another area I thought might be an issue. I was more than pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to pick up short hops as well as put spin on low, short balls. And it never felt sluggish at the net. I'm looking forward to playing more S&V with this racquet and coming to the net more often. At one point I came to the net on 8 straight points and winning the point on each.

7. Hot String Bed.....I was really worried about this and it just never seemed to be an issue. With the spin I was able to generate from both wings I never worried about hitting long. I had plenty of power when I swung out, and my backhand felt great.

8. Control.....I've been playing with the Biomimetic 300 Tour and the Prince EXO3 Tour, and I felt way more confident with the Melbourne in every aspect.

I'm excited to play around with different string set ups, especially poly. I've played around with different racquets from time to time, but I usually settle on something and play with it for a couple of years. I really like my Prince EXO3 Tours and I've played with them for 2 years now. They are leaded up to 357 grams. And the Melbourne's have better touch and better control. Not quite as much topspin.

Serving was the only area that I wasn't completely happy with. And like Basil, It usually takes a couple of outing and a couple of baskets of balls to dial that in with a new racquet.

Brian 72 , great to hear that you are enjoying the melbourne. the serve will come and you will find this to be a very "complete" frame. When I struggle with this frame, it is always me. The stick does what you ask of it. When I am playing well, the stick accentuates my game nicely.
Enjoy..

Took a week off to rest my aching knees and got a chance to play in 75 degree sunshine today in metro Boston. I tried going to a stronger semi western grip today and I was amzed at how much heavy topspin I was producing today.The grip shape really makes the semi western a natural feeling grip and I was hitting out with great confidence today. Great to play outside today!

So I've had a couple of outings now with the Melbourne. Played for 4 hours last Thursday and then for 2.5 hours today. I had a chance to play around with string setups and have come to a few conclusions.

First, I gotta say, you get out of this racquet what you put in. I have really enjoyed not worrying about my racquet. The Melbourne's power level has been a great match for my game. And it's been a fantastic transition from the Prince EXO3 Tour 100 16x18. Topspin has been the biggest surprise, and it's only gotten better since I played around with string setups.

I have four Melbourne's strung up. The first two have a full bed of Synthetic Gut at 55 lbs. I strung up the other two yesterday.

1st setup: Poly cross at 57 and a Synthetic Main at 60.

2nd setup: Synthetic cross at 60 and Poly Main at 57.

I preferred both these setups to the Full bed of Syn Gut. They both had more power and spin. The extra power was nicely offset by the extra topspin I was able to generate. However, the 1st setup was my favorite as it generated the most topspin and my hitting partner felt like I was just hitting a much heavier ball. I felt like I had more control as well on half volleys and I was able to hit short low balls with more pace and confidence.

All in all the honeymoon continues. Serves are getting better. I would like to still tail weight one just to see how it performs.

Note: String that I use is Goldenset Power Cord 17g and Hex Poly 17g for the poly and their Synthetic Gut in 17g.

Brian 72 , great to hear that you are enjoying the melbourne. the serve will come and you will find this to be a very "complete" frame. When I struggle with this frame, it is always me. The stick does what you ask of it. When I am playing well, the stick accentuates my game nicely.
Enjoy..

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Basil, I've got to agree with you. This stick does do what you ask of it. When I hit long, it's because of my crappy footwork.

As for the serve, I've gone from a continental grip to an Eastern Back Hand grip for my topspin serves and the adjustment has increased my consistency quite a bit. Still working on the flat serve. Much prefer just hitting Topspin on first and seconds as my first serve percentage goes way up.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. Glad I finally pulled the trigger.

Really appreciate everyone's feedback and advice over the past couple of weeks. Played two hours of doubles last night, fresh hybrid string job, and could not make anything work. In addition, I felt it in my shoulder and arm and can't afford to continue with that. So unfortunately I will be sending my one remaining new stick back and putting the current one up on the boards. If anyone here is interested on obtaining another 4-3/8", I would be happy to work with you directly. I was careful not to scrape it during play, so it's a 9+/10.

Great group here, and I wish you all continued success with the Melbourne and your games. My search will continue.

10SDad

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I am bowing out as well and will stick to my PB10 MID for now. If anyone here is interested, I have two in excellent condition (9+), one in 4 1/2 and one in 4 3/8 ( will sell or trade).

I started hitting with a pro twice a month recently. I will be turning 52 in january and although I maintain excellent an fitness level I just can't rely on my endurance and foot speed anymore to outlast 30 somethings anymore. I have been working on moving to a true 'all court game" meaning that I need to tighten up my volleys, overheads, approach shots and short ball game. My pro stopped me in the middle of our last outing and asked to look at my frame. I asked why and he said that my shots had so much spin and weight that he wanted so see what my set up was. Gut/poly is working real well indoors for me right now with no shoulder issues. He was familiar with Volkl frames and thought that this was an excellent set up for me. I want to really work on an attacking game over the winter so I can shorten up points and lengthen my singles ability a few more years before my body starts to let me down and I move to purely doubles.

I started hitting with a pro twice a month recently. I will be turning 52 in january and although I maintain excellent an fitness level I just can't rely on my endurance and foot speed anymore to outlast 30 somethings anymore. I have been working on moving to a true 'all court game" meaning that I need to tighten up my volleys, overheads, approach shots and short ball game. My pro stopped me in the middle of our last outing and asked to look at my frame. I asked why and he said that my shots had so much spin and weight that he wanted so see what my set up was. Gut/poly is working real well indoors for me right now with no shoulder issues. He was familiar with Volkl frames and thought that this was an excellent set up for me. I want to really work on an attacking game over the winter so I can shorten up points and lengthen my singles ability a few more years before my body starts to let me down and I move to purely doubles.

I picked up one of these mostly due to the cost and relation to the BB 11 MP which is my stick of choice I have 3 of them. I have been playing with the Melbourne for a few weeks now but can't seem to dial in my forehand. I'm mostly hitting long and finding it a bit whippy compared to the BB 11. I'm thinking the balance and SW are just a little off for me. So my question is where and how much lead tape do you guys suggest in order for it to feel like my BB 11? Anyhow please let me know if you need more information. thanks in advance.

What do you have the Melbourne strung with? It's definitely a different stick than the BB 11MP but for my game it ends up being better in all aspects...ymmy. It did take a little adjustment on each of my strokes though.

I play full poly with my go to set up being cyclone 17 @ 48 with Scorpion 1.22 @ 46. I also enjoy playing with Tour bite. I only tried the first set up in the Melbourne but I think I did 50/47 tension.

Odd, I didn't get the email update on your reply last night, sorry for the delayed response.

If you like the response from the string bed and the only issue is the whippy feeling from the Melbourne being a little more headlight then I'd try about a gram each at 10/2. IIRC, that's what I ended up with when trying to match the balance point but it did raise the sweet spot and that wasn't cool by me so I'm back to stock form but it should get the swing path closer to the BB11s

I've played several matches since my last post. Interestingly enough, I've played against pushers each time and a few trends have started to show up with the racquet.

I've struggled with power on my serve with this racquet so I took one and added 6 grams of lead to the handle to make it more head light. Based on my home made balance board I'm at about 9.5 pts head light with the one I leaded up.

Today when I was playing I started out playing with the unmodified racquet and I really struggled getting any steam on my serve. After losing the first set 6-3, I switched to the modified racquet. Instant improvement. My control was better and there was significantly more pace on my ball. My serving motion felt much more effortless.

Because of playing pushers, I've had to really focus on attacking the net. The Melbourne has been so solid at net regardless of modifications. The modified racquet was a tad more maneuverable.

It was difficult to get into any serious baseline rallies because of all the short balls. All hit with back spin. And the melbourne handled it well. I relied a lot on my back hand slice. This bad boy hits an awesome backhand slice.

My 2hbh has also seen some great improvement. Because of how solid the hoop is, my backhand has become very consistent. It several nice cross court passing shots and I was really able to drive it deep.

Finally, my return of server with the melbourne has got to be one of my favorite things about this frame. I get everything back. In fact, I love it when my pusher opponents would serve, I could finally take full cuts at the ball and redirect the pace of the serve instead of having to constantly play chip and charge. And I rarely had balls float long when I had to chip away at more difficult serves. Also, the weight of the racquet allows me to hit deep to the corners on short balls with out over hitting.

So I originally bought 2 Melbournes from TW. Once I had played with them, I put my EXO3 Tour 100's in the FS/T and had an offer to trade them for 3 brand new Melbournes. Needless to say, I now have 5 Melbournes. So far, my favorite set up is leaded up to 353 grams, and 9.5 pts headlight with an "O" dampener and then strung up with a poly cross and a Syn Gut Main. No hot spot issues. I also like the Poly main, with Syn Gut crosses.

I'm excited to try this with a lower tension and a full poly bed.

Just gotta restate, I know when I'm playing with this racquet it's going to do exactly what it's asked to do. It's just a great all around stick that allows me to adapt.

Just got my Melbournes restrung with the BB gut/poly hybrid package at 61#GM/58#polycrosses and they play great right out of the Bag. (thanks Mike, great job as usual). So my journey continues with working on S&V with a teaching pro and what is amazing to me is that even when I hit serves at 50-70%, as long as I toss into the court and get my bodyweight moving up & forward, my serves have plenty of pop & spin to come in behind. Being a former lifelong hockey player, my instinct is to come in like a charging Rhino, much like lining up an opponent for a check into the boards and my pro has been really working on getting me to slow it down a bit and make sure I am splitstepping at the right time and not running through my volleys. It's coming along slowly but surely, and the melbourne just feels so natural up there it really helps me want to play more up at the net. Slowing down is against my natural instinct and I have to learn patience. I am getting Great punch volleys, nasty slices that stay low with good bite. All essential components of net rushing. It will be interesting to see how I do by springtime. Loving the melbourne! I have 3 of them and I rotate them every time out so the gut lasts longer in each frame.

Basil, Your last post is a good example of why l like the Melbourne so much. I don't think about my racquet anymore. It's been so solid for me from all areas of the court. At 4.0 being able to s&v effectively is such an advantage.

I like that my mental energy and concentration is now focused on my footwork and technique instead of worrying about my racquets playing characteristics.

As a side note, I had my 2 Dunlop Bio 300 Tours up for sale and ended up trading them for 3 Dunlop 200 4d tours. Haven't hit with them yet.

4d 200 Tour is an awesome stick. Plays well from everywhere on the court and provides plenty of pop and spin. really shines at the net and is a good serving stick. The swingweight wore me out in long matches and I found it almost too muted for my liking and I eventually moved onto the Melbournes which give me everything that I got from the tours except that I actually get better spin and less fatigue with the BB than the Dunlops so the move was easy. Weight of shot is comparable and I get better control with the BB as well. I think you will probably enjoy them and they are also another good frames that plays well with a soft main.

I hope that the BB Melbourne is solid enough (especially at the net) in stock condition and I don't need to customize as much as my PK Black Ace 98. I added lead from 4-8 all around the head and counterbalanced with 10 grams of silicone into the handle. Leather grip and an overgrip. Final specs: 360 grams - 357 SW - 32 cm.

My BB 'll arrive on Wednesday 31th. First I 'll replace it with Volkl S pallets and see how it plays in stock condition.

I would be surprised if it wasn't solid enough in stock. I've added lead to the 5 racquets I've used prior to the Melbourne which include the becker 11 and the Volkl Pb10 mid, and the Melbourne has been rock solid in stock form.

I started with the Melbourne with weight at 3:00& 9:00 and took it off becuase frankly, it doesn't need it. It needs a dampener because it does ping a bit with gut mains, but other than that the frame plays beautifully in stock form. My legends needed added weight, but IMO these don't.

I would be surprised if it wasn't solid enough in stock. I've added lead to the 5 racquets I've used prior to the Melbourne which include the becker 11 and the Volkl Pb10 mid, and the Melbourne has been rock solid in stock form.

I started with the Melbourne with weight at 3:00& 9:00 and took it off becuase frankly, it doesn't need it. It needs a dampener because it does ping a bit with gut mains, but other than that the frame plays beautifully in stock form. My legends needed added weight, but IMO these don't.

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Thanks, this sounds hopeful.

Too bad of that ping sound, Basil. Fortunately I never had a ping sound with Head RIP Contol.

I 'll let you know my experiences. However I still need to be patient till Wednesday.

I picked up one of these mostly due to the cost and relation to the BB 11 MP which is my stick of choice I have 3 of them. I have been playing with the Melbourne for a few weeks now but can't seem to dial in my forehand. I'm mostly hitting long and finding it a bit whippy compared to the BB 11. I'm thinking the balance and SW are just a little off for me. So my question is where and how much lead tape do you guys suggest in order for it to feel like my BB 11? Anyhow please let me know if you need more information. thanks in advance.

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It didn't matter how much lead tape I added I just couldn't get my forehand dialled in. There was a touch of hoop flutter that I couldn't get rid of because I take the forehand and serve a little higher in the stringbed. Not the racket as such, just me.

Played 3 matches in 4 days this week. Won 2 out of three of them. My serving is starting to come together. The amount of spin I can generate with this frame with a multi is very surprising. I also get nice kick on my serves with minimal effort. The frame although it is 12.2 oz, does swing a little heavy and I am finding, like with my dunlop 200 tour, a nice relaxed arm and deliberate mechanics gets the job done quite nicely. I have only been running into trouble when I catch myself trying to crush a ball. When I let the heft of the frame and my legs do the bulk of the work, I produce a nice heavy topsin drive and 1HBH drive with minimal effort. the 18 x 20 string bed is comfortable and I have yet to feel any hotpsots like troy mentioned in the original review. I have been only using this frame this week, and my level of play improves with every subsequent use. So far, No arm or shoulder pain. This frame is much better IMO than the Legend. Balance, feel and stability, all improved.

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Basil,
I played the Legend and the 200 Tour, both very good frames. I found the Legend more flexy, power level about the same, and control maybe slightly better on the 200Tour. Main difference in feel for me is that 200Tour feels crisper. Maneuvrability is about the same, mainly slight edge ot the 200Tour.

How does the Melbourne compare in terms of feel, control to the description I gave of the two above mentionned frames? Is it a muted feel?
Which racquet inspires more confidence in swinging out freely? I hate racquets that are too powerful. I played Redondo mid at some point, and I like it a lot, very controlled, and minimal power, I can swing it without thinking. I just prefer a 98 head for defensive shots. Thanks .

Melbourne is crisper IMO than both the legend and the 200T. I found the legend to be unstable against big hitters even with lead on the hoop. For some reason it always felt like it twisted on my back hand side even though I liked it everywhere else. The Melbourne in contrast is very stable swings lighter than the 200T yet provides equal power, a little better control, but less weight of shot. I feel like I can do more with the melbourne in a match than with the other frames mentioned. It's interesting you bring up the Redondo because I would describe the melbourne as a crisper higher powered redondo MP. They both play very similarly yet the melbourne gives me that extra oomph that the redondo always lacked.

Basil,
do you find the Melbourne arm friendly? Have yuo played the London Tour?
I have the London Tour and it is pretty nice, I find it crisp, and sweetspot is tiny! I'm wondering if the MElbourne is truly a bigger London Tour or if it's a completely different feel?

Basil,
do you find the Melbourne arm friendly? Have yuo played the London Tour?
I have the London Tour and it is pretty nice, I find it crisp, and sweetspot is tiny! I'm wondering if the MElbourne is truly a bigger London Tour or if it's a completely different feel?

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Very arm friendly with multi or gut mains. I tried a poly main once and I found it harsher than I wanted it. Also did not see an increase in performance with poly mains so my set up is gutM/polyC fro this stick. I play my KI5's the other way around without issue.
I have had zero issues with my shoulder or elbow at all with this frame.

My first impression was not really great. I didn't like it at all! It felt very flimsy in stock condition to me as I am used to my customized PK Black Ace 98 (32 cm balance - 357 SW and 363 grams).

Today I put lead from 4-8 (10 grams) and 10 grams at 7" from the butt cap on the Melbourne. Total weight: 358 grams. Balance: 33cm.

Wow what a big difference! I hit much better this time. I felt the weight into my groundstrokes again. I read from other TT posters that the Melbourne plays more like a 93". I must admit the directional control is great.

The feel of the Melbourne reminds me very much of the Vantage VT231. A pretty crisp but still comfortable feel.

I have been playing for the past month with these. There is a lot of things I really like about the racquet, a few things I am not sure why my game as suffered.

I came from playing with the Yonex RDiS 100 and RDS 001 mids. I have been waiting for the Yonexs to go on sale....tap, tap, tap. Using this as a stop gap, but it may be permanent.

I like the shape of the Melbourne, as it is more oval than round. That is what I like about Yonex.

I have no idea what grip is on the Melbourne but it is the worst grip ever! I really didn't understand what people were saying about it until I used it for a while - I was being cheap as I didn't want to put a new grip on it until I was sure I wanted to keep it. I have never had grips come off so many times before. It was a completely new racquet after I replaced the grip....much more what I am use to as far as feel goes. This should just be mandatory.

It has more power than I am use to, so when I get it restrung I will up the lbs to about 53-54....depending on the string. I really like Solinco tour bite on it; I had it stung at 52. I also had one with Genesis blk magic at 50 and that was way to low/soft feeling.

Sometimes I wonder if its too light for me, but I am enjoying the ease of maneuvering as it has really helped my net game and slice.

Overall pretty happy with it, considering the price I paid for the pair.

Took the winter off from tennis for the first time in 10 years and I just started hitting again last week. I went out the first two sessions with freshly strung KI5's, kind of to get the old shoulder loosened up and get my feet moving again on a court. Got fresh strings on my melbournes and have hit twice with them now and still absolutely love these frames! Too bad they are discontinued. Are you guys still using yours or have you moved onto to other frames? I get everything I want out of these with no arm or shoulder issues with Gut mains & poly crosses. Feels good to be back on the courts!

The Melbourne is still in my bag. As is the Dunlop 4d 200 Tour. I'm currently playing with adding lead in different places. I have one with a polarized set up and one with a de-polarized set up. So far I prefer the polarized set up and the extra spin I've been getting.

I would like to still play around with some string set ups, and will do so once I get a string machine.

I don't plan on switching anytime soon. The melbourne has all the qualities I want in a racquet. The rest is just fine tuning.

I hope your health is well. I read in another thread that you were dealing with a low grade prostate cancer. I've dealt with cancer myself (15 years cancer free )

Good to hear Brian. I play it in stock form and it is a sweet stick. I am currently under "active Surveilance" meaning I go in every 6 months for bloodwork and a Biopsie, If my PSA's change. So far they remain at 4, and I hope that it does not progress any higher. If it does , I will have it removed and be done with.(hopefully).
Since I discovered the cancer I have cleaned up my diet even more so, and have cut out red meats, Gluten and dairy. I pray everyday that I remain healthy for my kids. Glad to hear that you beat it yourself.

That's good to hear Making the changes you've made will certainly help. I healed myself by doing an aggressive alternative program. At the time (15 years ago) I was given a 0% chance of surviving. I was diagnosis with a rare form of Lymphoma. Giving the circumstances, I didn't feel like I had anything to lose. So I changed my diet, cut all refined foods, cleansed my body, juiced wheatgrass every day and took several different herbs, vitamins and minerals. 6 months after the diagnosis, they couldn't find a thing wrong with me. And I haven't had to go back to a doctor for anything since.

Now back to the Melbourne, the one thing I've noticed as I've played both it and the 200 tour, is I can hit a much harder 2hbh with the 200 tour and I don't find myself in defensive positions on that side nearly as much. Hence, the lead modifications. I prefer the maneuverability of the Melbourne and I feel like I've played my best tennis I've ever played since changing to it and the plow and power of the 200 tour is hard to beat sometimes